I joined up last summer when I got Bill and Ted, who sadly didn't have much of an excellent adventure. I then got my large tank (64 l) and some tiger barms, but they lasted less than 24 hours and I got disheartened. The tank has been sitting empty for months but today I finally cleaned it out and re-filled. I'm staying away from Pets at Home and went today to see a very reputable local aquatic dealer, he's been around for over 30 years. So the cycling starts today, and next Friday I will go get my first lot of little fishies. Got all the tests, doing it all by the book. Although the guy I saw today said the tigers I got must have been a bit bad to start with if they lasted less tha 24 hrs.

Now that it's all cleaned up and filled again I'm very excited! Sorry for my long absence, life has been quite trying over the last 6 months.

Good luck on this adventure. I hope it goes much better for you this time. Always nice to hear of someone who's giving some fish a good home. I think most fish are sick in some form or another when you first get them, but once you have taken care of any issues, then it's easier. If they make it a month with no problems, then they're pretty healthy.

I haven't really decided yet. I'm going back to the aquatic shop on Friday afternoon. I definitely think I want some more barbs but I know I have to be careful what else I put in with them. Any suggestions? I'd like at least 3 varieties eventually. Plenty of colour with a bit of personality thrown in :-)

I've not been in the best of health the last 6 months which is why I've left it alone. It was either sort it out and do something, or sell the tank and I really didn't want to do that. Things are on the mend so with some help I cleaned it all out on Sat.

ph is testing at 7.6 +. Don't know if that's what it is or if it's higher, cos the colour the test is showing is at the top of the chart! Put first lot of filter start in this evening. I can get some of the ph up/down stuff if need be.

I dislodged it all and set the filter up higher, and today it's a lot clearer. I did find a couple of other mentions of it suggesting it may have been due to stagnant water. Not any more! Got 7 (very small) tiger barbs this afternoon, they are all happily swimming away after a dose of live food. They don't spread out much mind..tend to swim around together a lot. Fingers crossed!

What do you mean is normal? Like, what is the question??As long as the water tests are alright, there's nothing to worry about However, it may be good for you to do some research on which type of water the barbs enjoy (my rusty memory can't help). If they want soft water it's a good thing to get a piece of bog wood which will let out a certain "chemical" that will soften the water.

If you'd like me to, I could check one of my fishie books for you at a later date

Wondering if it's normal that the shrimp died, and if I should remove it. All 6 fishies still doing ok :-). pH is a little high for them but I'll get some of the wood soon, the aquatics man said it's good for lowering the pH. The water in my area is pretty soft to start with. I'd appreciate some info on how tiger barbs are supposed to behave. Sometimes they go very quiet and swim in a little shoal, other times they swim around like crazy. Nitrites are still testing at 0. I guess I'm a little paranoid after previous disappointments! Can you recommend any good books?

Anything that dies in the tank should be removed right away or it may contaminate it Sadly, I don't know that much about shrimp :/ But it could be that the water quality isn't appropriate, or that it simply was shocked from the move.Remember to boil the wood or wash it with really hot water and soak it for a few days In the start it releases a load of tannins which would make your water all brown!

Let's see... I'll steal some info from one of my books "Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish" by David Alderton (it's certainly recommended). Here it says that Tiger barbs come from Asia, so you would probably want to try and imitate their habitats by getting them plants that come from the same area They'll grow to be about 7cm and they prefer their water warm (20-20 degrees Celsius), soft and acidic (pH 6.5). They're very active fish and enjoy having a big swimming area, so put plants and other ornaments along the tank walls on the back and sides. Keep an eye out for ich, or white spot since Tiger barbs are especially vulnerable to it.

Aside from that, I'd recommend a few other books for you:"The Complete Aquarium Guide" (unknown author) and "Manual of Fish Health" by Chris Andrews.The Fish health book is very good to read through and learn to recognize certain diseases and their causes! But of course, no need to get all worried as soon as the fish have a torn fin or something. Just knowing how to avoid the diseases is usually enough.

Thanks! The wood at the aquatic shop is already in tanks so I think it should be ok. One of them has gone very quiet. Feeding time they all wake up though! I'm wondering if it's worthwhile putting in a few drops of preventative Melafix? I just really want thgem to thrive. I'll look into thos ebooks next pay day, thanks again!

Anytime! Add Melafix only if you see some physical damage on the fish, like a slightly torn fin or something. I think it just takes a little while for them to get used to their place! As long as the water's alright and the temperature's stable

Did around a 10% water change at the weekend and gave the filter a bit of a clean. The one I mentioned above is still haning in there but I'm pretty sure it has swimbladder issues. Sometimes swims upside down then eventually flips itself right, and looks like it struggles breathing at times. The other 5 seem quite happy. Two weeks on Friday and no deaths so I'm pleased. I'm getting there :-) My pH is now better too for these fish, it's a bit below 7 now. Nitrites 0. They gobbled up a couple of small pieces of cooked courgette and nibbled on some cucumber chunks. Going to get some live food at the weekend.